This study followed up 50 Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts) students who participated in the New Pathway (NP) program, an innovative curriculum that stressed humanistic medicine, lifelong learning, and social learning. Forty percent of NP students and 18 percent of traditional students went on to practice primary care or psychiatry; more NP…

Responses from faculty from 82 percent of medical schools surveyed indicated agreement between the basic science teachers and clinical teachers on the relative importance of a set of biomedical concepts, and showed relatively minor levels of disagreement on how difficult these concepts are. (Author/MLW)

Of senior faculty members (n=40) surveyed about mentor relationships, most thought mentor activity feasible in their departments but felt few residents had mentors. Most had been a mentor, and more had had mentors. All those who were mentors felt it helped their career advancement, personal development, and stress management. (Author/MSE)

Among findings of an examination of medical-career changes made by 603 Alberta medical school graduates were that more specialists (35 percent) than family physicians (18) made changes, that 42 percent made changes during the first year of residency, and that reasons cited included general dissatisfaction (47 percent) and lifestyle compatibility…

A study of medical students' pre-medical-school and graduation specialty preferences examined sex differences in selection of pediatrics at both points and changes from preference for pediatrics. Half those abandoning early preference for pediatrics stayed within primary care. More shifted from family practice to pediatrics than kept their…

A study examined the attitudes of 227 faculty and 148 house physicians toward the value of touching patients and their relationship to sociodemographic and job characteristics, previous exposure to and concern about human immunodeficiency virus infections, and attitudes toward glove-wearing. (MSE)

A survey of 530 male and 137 female graduates of Jefferson Medical College (Pennsylvania) found numerous gender differences in their assessments of selected areas of the medical school curriculum, issues of medical practice and professional life, and specialty choices, professional activities, and research productivity. (Author/MSE)

Data from a survey of 1,038 men and 558 women primary care physicians were used for gender comparisons of 19 factors influencing choice of specialty. Other practice and demographic data were also considered. Results indicate men were more often influenced by early role models, women more often by personal and family factors. Some variables showed…

A survey of 111 medical schools found 12 provided no formal teaching in death and dying, 30 provided 1 or 2 lectures in the first 2 years, 51 taught it as a module of a larger course, and 18 offered it as an elective. A Yale School of Medicine seminar uses patients as teachers. (Author/MSE)

Using an 18-item form, residency program directors rated residency performance of graduates (n=401) of a 3- and a 4-year medical school program at Loyola University of Chicago. Three-year program graduates showed less strength in background medical knowledge and experience using research data. The only marked differences were in surgery and…

Data on 53 Jefferson Medical College (Pennsylvania) graduates specializing in emergency medicine (EM) found they had the highest senior year debt and expected the highest income among nonsurgeons, compared favorably in academic performance and examination scores and were very willing to treat low-income patients. Implications are discussed.…

A survey of 994 medical school deans, basic science and clinical department heads, tenure committee members, and junior and senior faculty found the most frequently identified problems with medical education concerned evaluation of teaching. General and specific concerns were expressed by the 455 survey respondents. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 142 Canadian and U.S. medical schools found almost all have faculty tenure systems; 9 limit tenure to basic science faculty. Over three-fourths define tenure to include some financial guarantee, which only rarely covers full salary/compensation. Pretenure probationary periods vary. Flexibility was a key policy feature. (Author/MSE)

A study with 21 internal medicine residents at 1 teaching hospital found that the students perceived an even balance between the service and education functions of their night-call activities. No significant difference was found between first-year and senior (second-, third-, and fourth-year) residents. (Author/MSE)

A survey of 92 medical college admissions officers indicated the admissions interview has two major purposes: assessing candidates' noncognitive skills and public relations. Most interview processes were loosely to moderately structured, and interviewers received minimal training. The interviewer's role is primarily subjective but influential in…